The Verlaines, Robert Pollard, Vivian Girls article, Richard X. Heyman interview
Jason Gross
In the latest issue of Perfect Sound Forever online music magazine
<http://www.perfectsoundforever.com>, you'll find (among other
things):
RICHARD X. HEYMAN
A wacky interview with the indie popster
"2008's Intakes, the seventh album by noted cult singer-songwriter
Richard X Heyman, offers a collection of timeless songs that are
actually hard to pin down when it comes to the year they have been
written. In this humorous interview, Richard explains the relativity
theory, why the first song he has written is actually his fourth, why
three LP's are not enough for an lonely island and more."
ROBERT POLLARD
His solo (post-Guided by Voices) years, Part 1
"Everything and nothing has changed for Robert Pollard since he
retired the Guided by Voices name on January 1, 2005. He still makes
music that is enjoyed, and inasmuch as the music is a commercial
product, consumed by legions of fans. He still makes a living from
doing what he loves. But the legions have thinned. Not all GbV fans
have wanted to take the leap with Pollard into an unfamiliar musical
frontier that offers no guides for listeners."
PYLON
Randy Bewley tribute from his band mates
"On February 26, 2009, a tragedy struck the Athens music world and
beyond: 53-year-old guitarist Randy Bewley of Pylon died of a heart
attack. In the last few years, the legendary band had reunited for the
2nd time, touring and prepping new material. After giving them some
space to deal with the horrible loss, I approached the rest of the
group in May 2009, asking if they'd speak about Randy. Bassist Michael
Lahowski and singer Vanessa Hay were kind enough to reply and share
their thoughts about him. Adding to the already somber circumstances,
Hay also confirmed what seemed obvious- without Bewley, Pylon was
officially over."
SKIN GRAFT
Noise rock label & comix outlet
"SKiN GRAFT records has released stunning and innovative music by
groups such as Cheer-Accident, Melt-Banana, U.S. Maple, Ruins, Arab On
Radar, The Flying Luttenbachers, and many more. Mark Fischer co-
founded SKiN GRAFT with Rob Syers in 1986, starting by publishing
comic books inspired by punk rock. In 1991, they began to release
records by artists with styles often categorized as 'noise rock' or
'No Wave.' Their roots in the comic book business have led to SKiN
GRAFT's exceptionally artistic approach to its packaging of albums."
THE VERALINES
Their hazy New Zealand music
"'Hallelujah All the Way Home' was yet another very odd fish from the
New Zealand school. Which is to say that it was devoid of any obvious
musical forefathers and totally sidestepped the big '60's flashback
which dazzled many indie bands of the mid-80's. The innovation and
gallantry of Graeme Downes' vision extended The Verlaines' modus
operandi far beyond what most people would have considered at the time
as "indie" or "garage pop." Downes' design was grandiose and rigorous
and the band's experimental focus was trained on totally different
targets to those of their contemporaries."
VIVIAN GIRLS
Male feminists sound off about them
"When the Vivian Girls' self-titled debut came out in 2008, it
received an instant rush of hype in the music press. It got rave
reviews by the Onion’s A.V. Club, Pitchfork, and Prefix (where I was
writing). The album trickled up to the print press. Veteran music
critics like Jim DeRogatis, Greg Kot, and Rob Sheffield were singing
the praises of the album just as equally.
The difference is the terms of this discussion: after the de facto
breakups of Le Tigre and Sleater-Kinney, critics everywhere have been
looking for a band to take the legacy of the riot grrrl movement in a
new direction."
We're always looking for good writers and/or ideas so let us know if
you have anything to share.
See you online,
Jason